Chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine- or rifampicin-miconazole-impregnated venous catheters decrease the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection similarly.

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) with the use of second-generation chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine (CHSS)-impregnated catheters, rifampicin-miconazole (RM)-impregnated catheters, and standard catheters.
Methods: Retrospective study of patients admitted to an intensive care unit who received CHSS, RM, or standard catheters in femoral venous access.
Results: We diagnosed 18 CRBSIs in 245 patients with standard catheters in 2,061 days, zero CRBSI in 169 patients with CHSS-impregnated catheters in 1,489 days, and zero CRBSI in 227 patients with RM-impregnated catheters in 2,009 days. Patients with standard catheters compared with CHSS- and RM-impregnated catheters showed a higher rate of CRBSI (7.3%, 0%, and 0%, respectively; P < .001) and higher incidence density of CRBSI (8.7, 0, and 0 per 1,000 catheter days, respectively; P < .001). We found in the exact Poisson regression that standard catheters were associated with a higher CRBSI incidence than CHSS-impregnated catheters (P < .001) and RM-impregnated catheters (P < .001), controlling for catheter duration. We found in survival analysis that standard catheters were associated with a lower CRBSI-free time than CHSS-impregnated catheters (P < .001) and RM-impregnated catheters (P < .001).
Conclusion: We found that CHSS- and RM-impregnated catheters decreased similarly the risk of CRBSI.
(Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)